Phillips urges wider enforcement support as Area Five records crime reduction

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Christopher Phillips is challenging enforcement agencies operating in Area Five to intensify their efforts and lend stronger support to the police-led crime reduction strategy, as the division records significant declines in major crimes.

Phillips pointed to a 35.7-per-cent reduction in murders, noting that other serious crimes are also trending down. However, he cautioned that sustained gains will require coordinated action from all enforcement bodies.

“If we are going to restore full public order it is going to need all the other agencies onboard and we must capitalise on the opportunity now,” he said.

The senior officer was addressing a farewell reception held in his honour at the Area Five headquarters in Constant Spring, ahead of his transfer to Area Three.

Phillips said that, despite the positive crime trends, he had observed a degree of complacency among some enforcement agencies.

“So, if murders are down, we might be challenged with minor crimes and those other things because they have not created an environment for public order, and it is not the task of the police alone,” he asserted.

Without identifying any specific town within the division, Phillips highlighted issues of tardiness that undermine public order.

“The timeliness of the garbage collection in some towns, how transportation is assigned, how your town is ordered, speaks to public order, so, even though we have murders under control and shootings, we must create the environment to treat with these areas,” he said.

While expressing regret at leaving Area Five, Phillips said he accepted the transfer with grace, acknowledging the transferable nature of his role within the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).

Tributes poured in from senior officers who worked closely with him, as he was showered with gifts and words of appreciation.

Throughout the ceremony, the recurring description of Phillips as a “transformational leader” echoed in several speeches.

Police Federation Chairman Arlene McBean was both complimentary and reflective as she spoke on his departure.

“The Christopher Phillips that we know will be taking a two-pronged approach. Phase one will be trust, motivation and then innovation and that will be Area Three, and when they do well he will move on to resilience and partnership,” she said, outlining what she described as the core values Phillips brings to leadership.

McBean disclosed that Phillips had made a significant contribution to the Area Five formation.

“I believed that scientists, criminologists and persons who are academics can understudy what you have done within this area for it to be replicated across the JCF,” she said, adding that since his establishment of the formation there had been a reduction in complaints coming to the Police Federation.

She credited his emphasis on capacity-building and saluted him as a significant leader who has transformed key aspects of the JCF, suggesting that his journey is preparing him for the next chapter in the force.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com